Sick or Not Sick? Evolving Biomarkers for Severe Bacterial Infection

In the United States, sepsis accounts for over 751,000 cases, 215,000 deaths, and 16.7 billion dollars in health care costs annually. Severe sepsis kills more individuals than breast, colon, rectal, pancreatic, and prostate cancer combined.1-3 With the difficulties associated with access to primary care and more aggressive emphasis on rapid hospital discharge and outpatient surgeries, sepsis ranks as one of the highest prevalence, highest mortality, and most expensive conditions that an emergency physician will encounter.